Oakland Dog Bite Causes Severe Facial Injury: Pit Bull to Blame?

A young seven year old Oakland girl was bitten in the face by a pit bull yesterday. A few days back a young boy in Walnut Creek was mauled and killed by a pack of five pit bulls. It seems every year or so there is another horrific dog mauling in the news. Is it the fault of the dog or the owner?

Over 300,000 dog bites result in emergency room treatment every year. It has been estimated that the medical cost of these dog bites, including hospitalization, doctors fees, and other related costs total over $164,000,000.00. These are just the economic costs.

As an Oakland personal injury attorney, I have personally seen the long lasting effects of a serious dog attack. The scarring from a dog bite can remain a life long memory of a terrifying attack. The psychological impacts of such attacks can be devastating if not dealt with by appropriate medical and psychological healthcare providers. If you have been bitten by a dog, you should obtain appropriate medical care and know your legal rights.

If you own a dog, you owe a special duty to the public to keep the dog on a leash. Almost every California County has a leash law–so it’s your legal duty to do so. If you are a landlord and your tenants have dogs, you can be responsible for dog bites if you knew or should have known of the dog’s dangerous history.

These serious dog bites can be prevented if we all take proper care of our animals. Remember, it’s an animal. If we own a dog, we are the ones responsible for making sure it doesn’t seriously injure someone. Let’s not place the blame on the dog.

We serve clients throughout California including those in the following localities: Alameda County including Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, and Oakland; Contra Costa County including Alamo, Danville, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Orinda, Richmond, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek; and San Francisco.